Music

Newport Folk Festival stays fresh with younger and more diverse acts – GBH News

This summer, the Newport Folk Festival is in full swing to bring one of the country’s premiere music festivals back to New England. From Friday, July 22, through Sunday, July 24, Newport Folk will bring more than 50 artists to Rhode Island’s Fort Adams State Park for a weekend of live music.
As David Pruett, an ethnomusicologist who teaches at UMass Boston, explains, the festival started decades ago when founder George Wein experimented with adding an afternoon of folk musicians to his already-existing Newport Jazz Festival. Following the immense success of that afternoon, in 1959 Wein expanded it to a whole weekend of folk music.
An annual tradition ever since, the Newport Folk Festival is most well-known as the setting for the infamous 1965 set wherein Bob Dylan “went electric” for the first time — to the shock of folk purists. According to Ralph Jaccodine, a professor of music business and management at Berklee College of Music, that wasn’t the only surprise Newport has had in store for audiences over the years.
That 1965 set was “when Dylan freaked everybody out,” said Jaccodine, a music manager and promoter. “And then 40 years later, Jay [Sweet, Executive Producer and Director of Newport Festivals] books The Pixies, and they go acoustic.”
More than 60 years later, the Newport Festivals Foundation is still running both its annual Folk and Jazz Festivals. After pandemic-related cancellations, it’s the first time since 2019 that the Newport Folk Festival will have its typical three-day, full-capacity format. Jaccodine attributes the festival’s longevity to a “brand” built around the quality of acts they book — it has a tradition of selling out well before its full lineup is announced. “You know if you go to Newport Folk Festival and you don’t know who’s playing, it’s going to be great,” Jaccodine said.
A crucial part of the festival is its “spirit of collaboration,” as Amelia Meath, of The A’s, described it. The A’s, a collaborative project by Meath and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, will make its live performance debut at Newport on Friday. Both are experienced musicians who have previously performed at the festival with their folk trio Mountain Man.
Getting to “[hop] on stage with a whole bunch of incredible musicians” and perform impromptu “without ever having a rehearsal” is, to Sauser-Monnig, part of what makes the folk tradition so unique.
“It’s going to be kind of a wonderful collaborative review of all the things that had been released … as well as seeing old friends and making new friends,” Meath said. “That’s one of the true gifts of Newport is that, every time I go, I ended up singing so much more than I thought I was going to. And it’s always a blast.”
The modern construction of folk music, as Pruett puts it, goes hand in hand with the commercialization of music at the turn of the century. Once music became profitable, the style and image of what he called old-time music “was changed by folks who were writing those checks,” Pruett explained. “Old time had this stereotype of being music from the South, music among white people, music among those mountain-type folks.” The music was marketed under the pejorative term “hillbilly music.” Artists started curating their stage presence and musical styles to match the commercial mold, leading to “the whiteness of what these genres stood for,” says Pruett, while blues artists who didn’t fit were categorized as “race records.”
Even today, the Billboard Americana/Folk Charts are topped almost exclusively by white artists, a supermajority of whom are men. It takes scrolling to the 20th album on the year-end chart for 2021 until Black Pumas, 2020 Best New Artist Grammy nominees and recent Boston Calling performers, break the streak of an otherwise entirely white list with their self-titled 2019 full-length release.
The most prominent modern example of the impact of racialization in folk music is that of British band Mumford & Sons. The band has, on multiple occasions, faced backlash for their affiliation with far-right speakers like Jordan Peterson and Andy Ngo. Most recently leading banjoist Winston Marshall decided to take time away from the band after he praised Ngo’s book. Frontman Marcus Mumford is slated to perform a charity benefit set in Newport as part of the festival’s after-show series on Saturday, July 23.
The element of Mumford’s music that Pruett was quick to highlight, though, is that the band represents “a full circle of world music history.” Combining Irish and Celtic influences, Appalachian folk tradition and the banjo — “which was an African instrument from the west coast of Africa, from Mali,” Pruett said — the band, without audiences even realizing, shows a result of centuries of musical migration.
Even beyond Mumford, this year’s Newport Folk Festival lineup poses an exciting opportunity for audiences. Jaccodine pointed to this year’s “bold” lineup that features non-traditional “folk” groups like The Roots, Dinosaur Jr. and The National.
“For folk music to live we need younger people, we need [a] diverse audience, we need to demonstrate that this quote-unquote ‘folk’ music can be done [by those artists] because it’s storytelling,” Jaccodine said.
Despite having such varied musical backgrounds, like many of the other artists featured on the lineup, The A’s described their new album, Fruit, as “a celebration of folk music that we’ve loved for years and years, particularly yodeling music.” But Meath added that a category like “folk,” like the genre label “pop,” doesn’t have strict boundaries: “Anything that originated from someone seems to be folk music at this point.”
Other notable names on the lineup include Arooj Aftab, a Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist who was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys in 2022 and won for Best Global Music Performance, a new category this year; Joy Oladokun, whose most recent release, In Defense of My Own Happiness, explores her identity as a queer Black woman in the United States; and alternative pop band Japanese Breakfast, whose frontwoman Michelle Zauner garnered buzz this year for her memoir “Crying in H Mart.”
GBH will be at Newport Folk Festival all weekend to deliver updates and coverage. Stay tuned on social media for more!

Molly McCaul is currently an intern over at Open Studio and a student at Wellesley College. As a lifelong Massachusetts resident, Molly is passionate about local music, arts journalism, and uplifting Boston’s newest voices. Beyond GBH, you can usually find them at a concert or attempting to pick up any number of hobbies in their free time
GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. Follow us so you don’t miss a thing!

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Music

Eurovision 2023: The running order of the semifinals has been revealed!

Greece’s song for Eurovision 2023, by Victor Vernicos, was released a few days ago with the title “What They Say”!

The Eurovisionfun team once again watched and reacted to the official video clip of the country’s entry for the upcoming Eurovision contest! Enjoy Apostolos, Paschalis, Stella and Apostolis in a Reaction video with detailed commentary on Greece‘s participation, for 2023!.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to enjoy interviews, reaction videos and Live s.

The analyzes of the fans and not only for a few minutes have been on fire, since the theories based on the prehistory of the countries in the contest, are a first picture of how passable is the qualification to the final or not. In other words, it’s time to make our predictions about who will advance to the final and who are the favorites to say goodbye to Liverpool early…

Turin will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest from May 9th to 13th at the Liverpool Arena. The motto of this year’s event, as chosen by the organizers is “The Sound of Beauty”.

Music

Beyonce UK Renaissance Tour 2023: Dates & How To Get Tickets

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It’s finally happening.

Calling all members of the Bey Hive! The time has finally come. Beyoncé has announced that she will be touring her latest album, ‘Renaissance’, released in July last year. Much to our delight, the superstar confirmed the live dates were happening at the Wearable Art Gala in California on October 22, when two tickets and a full backstage pass were put on auction.

Although the rumours of the 2023 tour have been confirmed, there still remains a lot of speculation around the dates of the UK leg, as well as whether Beyonce will be joining Elton John as a headliner at Glastonbury 2023. There is a lot of hype around Bey returning to British shores and a lot of fans will be trying to secure their seats to see her perform. We expect that when the tickets drop for ‘Renaissance’ in the UK they will sell out mega fast, so make sure to keep an eye out.

If you want to find out how to cuff your tickets to the ‘Renaissance’ tour then keep reading. Here is everything you need to know about Beyoncé’s 2023 UK shows.

The singer has been very secretive with any news of her tour and is yet to release any dates of pre-sale or general sale tickets. In true Bey fashion, she is keeping the Bey Hive very much on its toes.

No tickets have been released yet, so we don’t know exactly how much the ‘Renaissance’ tickets will cost. However, it is likely that the price will depend on where you sit.

For her ‘Formation’ tour shows in the UK, Beyonce’s tickets ranged from £77.50 to £385. It can only be assumed that tickets for this much-awaited tour won’t come cheap and may be much higher than that.

The ‘Break My Soul’ singer is yet to release any dates or venues for her ‘Renaissance’ tour and could announce them at any moment.

During her previous tours of the UK, Beyonce has made recurring visits to venues in London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester. We can only hope that she will be making a return to these areas in her upcoming tour.

Now that the tour has been announced, there has been a lot of speculation around who Bey will be choosing to follow her around the world to open the show for her.

There have been rumours that Beyoncé has been considering British girl group Flo, who will receive the Rising Star Award at the 2023 Brit Awards. Other potential openers who will join Bey on stage are the Nigerian singer Tems, as well as English singer and rapper Bree Runway.
Beyonce’s last tour in the UK was back in 2018 with her husband Jay-Z for her show ‘On The Run II’. The couple performed a total of six acts that included a mix of both of the stars’ songs such as ‘Crazy in Love’, ‘99 Problems’ and ‘Run the World (Girls)’.

They started the tour in Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and London before moving onto the rest of Europe and finishing the tour back in the USA.

Before that, Bey toured the UK in 2016 with The Formation World Tour in support of her album ‘Lemonade’.

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Music

11 Best Music Festivals of 2022 – Esquire

You may have missed Coachella but there are plenty of open air raves left to be had this year.
Back in 2020, many didn’t believe that we’d be rubbing shoulders with fellow-music lovers and screaming lyrics to our favorite songs at music venues together. With .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}Coachella back this year, one thing is clear for 2022: music festivals have been normalized again. Maybe you went and are desperate for more, wondering what to do with that leftover festival fever. Maybe you didn’t and the jealousy is too much to bear. Either way, don’t fret, Esquire complied a list of music festivals taking place the rest of the year.
Miami, FL – May 20-22
Minneapolis, MN – June 18-19
Afropunk is back again this year and is bringing with it the usual: groundbreaking arts, fashion and music from the Black community. Ari Lennox, Noname and Mereba are all set to perform at the festival, which will take place in Miami in May, and in Minneapolis over Juneteenth weekend, marking the first ever Afropunk event in the Midwest.
.css-1lxmaj6{background:#ffffff;background-color:#ffffff;-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;border:thin solid #FF3A30;border-radius:2rem;color:#000;display:inline-block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:0.875rem;letter-spacing:0.04rem;line-height:1.3;padding:0.6rem 1.125rem 0.3125rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-transform:uppercase;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;white-space:pre-line;width:auto;}@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1lxmaj6{margin:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1lxmaj6{margin:0rem;}}.css-1lxmaj6:focus-visible{outline-color:body-cta-btn-link-focus;}.css-1lxmaj6:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;background-color:#FF3A30;}Buy Tickets, Miami
Buy Tickets, Minneapolis

Boston, MA
May 27-29
Boston Calling Music Festival is looking to make Memorial Day weekend one to remember. Nine Inch Nails, The Strokes and Metallica are all set to headline the three-day festival. The former are joined by impressive acts such as Haim, Weezer, Avril Lavigne, Black Pumas and more.
Buy Tickets
New York, NY
June 10-12
Governors Ball, as always, will deliver another year incredible music, and some of the best NYC eats. This year festival-goers will be heading to Citi Field Lots, Queens to see the likes of Kid Cudi, Halsey and J-Cole, Roddy Ricch, Glass Animals, among others.
Buy Tickets
Manchester, TN
June 16-19
Described as «the most positive place on this planet,» Bonnaroo is the place to be this summer. This year’s acts include Ludacris, 100 Gecs, and Marc Rebillet. There’s also a ton of electronic and pop punk acts set to perform at Bonnaroo. If you’ve never experienced Bonnaroo, it may be time for you to put on your camping shoes and head to Tennessee.
Buy Tickets
Chicago, IL
July 15-16
If you’re wondering where all of the cool alternative artists will be this summer, you can find them at Pitchfork. For years, Pitchfork has been tagging themselves as «the most trusted voice in music.» Based on this year’s line-up, Pitchfork definitely has a taste for great music. Artists such as The National, Mitski and The Roots will be headlining the three-day weekend, where they’ll be followed by a slew of talented acts like Japanese Breakfast, Earl Sweatshirt, Tierra Whack, Amber Mark and more.
Buy Tickets
Newport, RI
July 22-24
Being one of the first modern music festivals in the US with a 60-year-run, you can expect Newport Festival to be nothing short of extraordinary. For decades the festival has boasted renowned performances and an astounding cultural atmosphere. This year is no different, with artists all the way from Clairo to Beebadoobee, Buffalo Nichols, Maren Morris and more set to take the stage in Rhode Island.
Tickets are currently sold out, but there is an option to join the waitlist.
Join Waitlist
Chicago, IL
July 28-31
LollaPalooza, the Chicago-based festival, is back this year with Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, Green Day, Lil Baby, Kygo and many others. Alongside a myriad of colorful outfits, you can expect to find incredible restaurants in the Windy City.
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Las Vegas, NV
September 16-18
Life is Beautiful festival coming to the Las Vegas area this September. Alongside music, the festival also offers culinary, art, and learning experiences in Downtown Vegas. This seems like a wonderful bonus to an incredible lineup. Artists like Lorde, Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, Jack Harlow and more are set to perform.
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Los Angeles, CA
September 16-18
After being canceled for the past two years, due to COVID-19, Primavera Sound is ready to shake American audiences. Artists such as James Blake, Nine Inch Nails, Cigarettes After Sex, Lorde, King Krule and many others are booked for the festival’s 2022 debut.
Buy Tickets
Franklin, TN
September 24-25
The multi-genre weekend festival is set to make its eight year return this September. Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlisle, who both received Grammy nominations this year, are set to headline the festival. Another Grammy winner on the bill is Jon Batiste, who actually earned the highest number of nominations by the Recording Academy this year. The complete line-up also features a number of other impressive musicians like The Avett Brothers, Elle King, Lennon Stella, Lake Street Drive and more.
Buy Tickets
Las Vegas, NV
October 22-29
Emo and Pop-Punk fans can rejoice because all of your favorite artists are set to take the stage in Las Vegas this Fall with the When We Were Young Festival. The new festival boast an impeccable set list, which is already sold out. Artists such as Bring Me To the Horizon, Pierce the Veil, Avril Lavigne, Sleeping With Sirens are set to perform. Paramore and My Chemical Romance will be the festival’s headliners.
Join Waitlist

Ammal Hassan is a writer and Esquire’s Snapchat Editor. She covers all things culture with a focus on music and pop culture. She is from Nairobi, Kenya and lives in New York City.
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